There wasn’t anything special happening on the red carpet.

If someone came up and stuck out a mic, we did the interview; if someone asked for a photo, we took it with them.

“Waaaaaaa—!”

In between all that, Souffles were making the area around the MGM hotel explode with cheers.

Every time interviewers with mics approached, distant screams went up, and it sounded like, “Hey, broadcasters! We’re watching, so do a good job.”

Of course, maybe because of the backlash to that, there were people who didn’t look kindly on us.

“What’s so great that they’re that popular?”

Mouths smiling, eyes saying who do you think you are—here and there we caught annoyed looks like that.

The interviewer in front of me looked like one of them.

“I’m Riena from Somos.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Riena.”

“First off, the popularity is enormous!”

The online outlet’s reporter flipped her blonde hair and smiled.

“It looks like you have a massive number of fans, but I’m not sure I’ve really heard of the name NewBlack. How and where did you get popular? Where did this popularity come from?”

It was so vague I bounced it back with a reverse question.

“We’re really curious too. How did this even happen?”

“So you’re saying you don’t know why you’re popular?”

I replied with a smile.

“We do know a lot of people love us. But I think everyone has different reasons for liking us. It’s hard to cut it clean and say it’s exactly because of this one thing.”

We’d already been briefed by the U.S. side agency on how to handle local media.

Just because we act modest doesn’t mean they go, ‘Wow! So humble!’ and treat you nicely. We were told: if you have something to say, say it confidently, as long as you’re not being rude. So that’s how we’re handling it.

“I see.”

Riena smiled and asked,

“Still, if you had to pick your own charm point? Don’t tell me you don’t have even one?”

“Hmm.”

While I was thinking over my answer, the maknae beamed and answered first.

“Our stage, I think.”

“Your stage?”

“Yes. We do really well on stage.”

“I see. But I haven’t seen your stage, so I wouldn’t know. Any other points?”

What is this.

Is she trying to play a power game?

No—it felt more like she wanted to lightly provoke and draw a reaction. The vibe of an online outlet that tries to piss you off so you snap, and then they farm the views with that.

She looked like she’d stick to us until she got what she wanted, so I flicked a glance at Minki hyung standing nearby with his hands behind his back.

Our interpreter stepped in immediately.

“Let’s wrap the questions here and move on. We have a lot of other interviews scheduled.”

“I still have a few more questions....”

“Shame.”

We waved and smiled.

The reporter, who looked like she meant to keep following us with “more questions,” gave a crooked smile; then I heard her voice to camera:

“Wow! They’re really quick to run away!”—said with a laugh.

“Whew.”

The maknae pressed up to me and whispered,

“I almost snapped just now. Hyung.”

“Don’t snap. If we snap, we lose.”

Our job is all about what’s visible.

So anything that isn’t shown doesn’t exist.

Put simply: even if we argue or bicker back at the dorm, later it ends with, “He’s not usually like that; he must’ve been mad then.” But that doesn’t work in front of cameras.

Show a negative look from a momentary mood swing, and that becomes who you are.

“Let’s keep our faces locked in today.”

“Yeees.”

After that slightly absurd interview, we did a few more with other outlets.

Maybe thanks to the fans’ heat, it was mostly, “Your popularity is huge! Who are you guys?” and “You gained even more fans after Kids’ Choice!”—a friendly vibe. The situation we’d worried about didn’t come up again.

We finished the interview schedule and were about to head inside with security guiding us when—

“Great hair today, Mandy. Nominated in three categories, right? They’re even saying you’re a strong favorite... I should congratulate you in advance. A trophy in one hand, a man in the other.”

The same reporter who’d interviewed us was talking to the hit singer Mandy Spice.

The reporter beamed at the singer, whose face had gone stone cold.

“So which man will have the honor of going to your house tonight?”

A loud commotion broke out.

“...What did I just hear?”

“Did you... hear that?”

While we stood there slack-jawed and stunned, the local U.S. coordinator with us smiled and said,

“Welcome to Hollywood.”

We followed security and entered the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“Waaaaaaa!”

Looks like there are a lot of undercover Souffles here too.

From seats a bit away, Souffles with phone cameras and placards like “NewBlack♡” cheered and welcomed us.

The cheers were like the main stars of the day were arriving—embarrassing, honestly.

Maybe thanks to that, we got to sit in seats not just anyone can take.

“What took you so long?”

Hayley, sitting next to us, asked with a grumpy face.

Sitting down, I answered,

“We got stuck doing interviews with reporters. Do you know an outlet called Somos? That one took a while.”

“Riena?”

“Yeah.”

Hayley muttered, “That bitch,” so I guess we weren’t the only ones.

Honestly my heart was still pounding.

Ri Hyuk whispered,

“I can’t forget that question earlier. I’d only heard people say the outlets here are vicious.”

“Ughhh.”

While we shivered, staff in “Billboard” logo tees handed out boxes filled with snacks.

They looked like those VIP snack boxes Grandma gets from the department store.

I should send one of these to Grandma when we’re back in Korea.

“Oh.”

Biju did the same—peeked inside and shut it again.

“Interesting. I guess awards shows here hand out snacks.”

“Right... oh, this does look tasty.”

Junhyun was already tossing cookies into his mouth.

According to him, they taste like the cookies in those tins grandparents keep for yarn and thimbles.

The maknae and Ri Hyuk were already nibbling too, when Hayley said,

“You might want to save those.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see in a bit.”

The face of a veteran looking at newbies.

Come to think of it, Chris Kyle and Summer sitting by Hayley weren’t touching their snack boxes either.

We’d find out why later.

In the meantime, celebrities we didn’t know came to ask for photos with us. Probably because fans kept cheering for us.

“Thanks. Could we do one more shot together?”

“Of course.”

We smiled kindly and did a V with a famous sitcom actor, then took a picture with a model-entrepreneur everyone said was famous.

So many people nearby, even ones we didn’t know.

After that, we huddled together and gave ourselves a shake.

“Ughhh....”

No reason, but we were jittery and our hearts ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) were thumping.

Maybe because we come from a world where a subway car full of foreigners feels conspicuous, all these packed American seats around us still felt awkward.

Especially our power-introvert Mr. Thermo looked nervous that Americans might try to talk to him.

“Ri Hyuk.”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t worry too much.”

“About what. Again.”

“With that nasty face you’re making, who’s going to come talk to you.”

He liked the part about no one talking to him, then tilted his head, “Huh?”

While our main vocal started trembling, I turned to Minki hyung in the row behind us.

“Hyung, you’re nervous too, right?”

“Yeah. You boys are the ones attending the awards, so why am I the one trembling.”

Minki hyung had played a soul-on-the-line round of rock-paper-scissors with Wonseok hyung for the single manager seat, but sitting here for real must have him just as rattled.

I smiled and clenched a fist.

“Fighting.”

“Fighting.”

And then the Souffles far off in the seats started shouting, “Fighting!” with us.

A wave of Korean-style “fighting” filled the MGM arena.

Managers and the boys, all of us met eyes and burst out laughing.

To people asking what our fans were shouting, we explained it’s like “good luck.”

“Oh. It’s starting.”

The lights began to spin, the hall darkening.

My heart thumped for no good reason.

A VCR showing the MGM hotel’s night view played on the screens, and the cheers swelled.

At last, the 2017 Billboard Music Awards were kicking off.

At the same time.

People flipping through channels finally came back to PBS2.

“Ugh.”

People in the restaurant grumbled.

“Commercials are insanely long.”

“I’m seriously watching this just for that one thing....”

“Why are there so many ads?”

Koreans fuming over forty ads jammed in.

In front of them, with a caption reading [Exclusive Live Broadcast], the Billboard Awards began to roll.

An awards show with live captions from real-time interpreters.

“That’s that famous casino, isn’t it.”

“Yup.”

The green hotel’s night view rolled by grandly, and a narrator’s cheerful voice came in.

[It’s the 2017 Billboard Music Awards-!]

Then the lineup of artists rolled in a row.

[Logan Smith!]

[Hayley Blue!]

[Cold Brown!]

[DJ Magic!]

[Mandy Spice!]

As the big names were introduced, small cheers went up.

[And... NewBlack!]

A colorful scene from NewBlack’s “Coin” music video flowed, and a massive cheer erupted.

“Still not used to this.”

Usually the fact that we’re in that lineup is where Koreans go, “Wow! They’re making it to America now!” and get excited together.

They were so happy it made us feel sheepish.

“My nephew’s in college in the States, and he said when he says he’s Korean, American kids ask if he knows NewBlack.”

“Oh my.”

“I even met some kids at a shop in Sydney on my trip to Australia who asked if I knew NewBlack.”

“Don’t even get me started on Southeast Asia. I heard it from the guide... in Thailand NewBlack boys were dancing on the billboards. Turned out it wasn’t actually NewBlack, just an ad made to look like them.”

Proud, people started sharing their personal sightings of NewBlack’s popularity.

Who knows why, but they felt randomly proud and full of pride.

Meanwhile the first performance at the Billboard Music Awards started.

[The singer hailed as the greatest voice of her generation—Mandy Spice! Her stage finally begins!]

The grand narration introducing a world-top singer ended, and the camera showed a singer seated atop a pumpkin coach.

Wearing a dress, she stroked her leg with her hand and sang.

-Yes, a star hugely popular with teens. People say before NewBlack, there was Mandy Spice.

-Teens?

-No, twenties. It says so in the script, commentator....

-Known for powerful vocal performances. She rose to fame from kids’ TV with lyrics speaking to teens’ hearts.

For those who just wanted to watch the stage, the commentary was annoying, so on social media people were posting “Please stop the commentaryㅠ”. Meanwhile, regular viewers who didn’t know much about America just listened like, okay then.

The singer stepped down from the pumpkin coach, got onto a palanquin carried by dancers, and belted a powerful note; small cheers rose.

And then—

-As we mentioned, here come our NewBlack!

The cameras caught NewBlack shimmying our shoulders and singing along, and the cheers in the venue exploded.

Maybe that’s why—

-Mandy Spice is smiling.

The singer, apparently mistaking it as cheers for her, beamed and pushed her high notes even higher, and Koreans felt a strange secondhand embarrassment.

While also smiling, just a little.

“Goodness. Honestly....”

“It’s not like NewBlack did it on purpose. What can they do when they’re that popular~?”

“Right~”

Koreans rubbed their noses and shrugged, grinning with a touch of swagger.

My first-ever in-person Billboard Music Awards—my immediate thought was...

“It’s like a dinner show.”

“Total dinner-show vibes.”

Like a dinner show, but sleekly made American-style.

More than men in suits clapping and going, “Ahem! Such a great honor...!” the awards felt like a show in and of itself.

So there were hosts.

-Tonight’s hosts! Please welcome DJ Magic and Christina Plum!

A rapper and a famous model selected as hosts came out with breezy jokes.

There were some political jokes mixed in too, drawing small laughs; honestly, it was hard to catch all of it.

-We’ve got truly killer performers tonight. Hayley Blue! Logan Smith!

“Waaaaaa!”

-Big Morgan!

-And... NewBlack!

As they introduced names one by one, when they called ours, a big cheer went up and the hosts cocked their eyebrows.

They gave a thumbs-up with a playful face.

-If you dodged slime that well at Kids’ Choice, you deserve this kind of welcome. Welcome to the Billboard Music Awards.

The shot of us smiling and nodding played, and the cheers burst again.

When their opening bit ended—

Presenters started coming out and the awards kicked off in earnest.

And then—

“So that’s why Hayley said to save the snacks.”

“Should’ve saved them.”

Our lovable fools rubbed their bellies, regretful.

At first we’d wondered why an awards show was handing out snacks, but this system was different from back home.

In Korea, it’s Part 1, break, then Part 2.

Here, there’s a commercial break basically after every performance. A stage ends, you think the next one’s up, and suddenly—ad time, so you catch your breath.

[The casino where your dreams come true! It’s waiting for you.]

Sponsors like casinos got name-checked whenever there was a chance.

One of the collab stages was even, “This stage is sponsored by a company!” with the beverage company’s logo on the set while the collab happened.

It felt like the final boss of commercialism.

“Wow....”

Like that, presenters came out and gave awards, then a stage, then commercials—the show rolled on.

I noticed there were presenters as their own thing.

Basically famous actors or celebs came out to say, “Up next, these insane artists!” and introduce the performance.

-Up next is a performance icon of our time, brimming with talent.

Every introduction came with “the greatest of this era” and the like. The famous ones were legends! Icons!

On stage now, Hayley’s husband Chris Kyle adjusted his bow tie and smiled.

-Ladies and gentlemen, Eilo.

The famous Australian singer-songwriter Eilo.

Known for shocking performances, supposedly the nation’s singer in Australia, and very popular in America.

Also known for signature high notes.

The song Junhyun and I busked in Australia? One of his.

An Egyptian set rolled out; dancers painted gold atop a pyramid started to dance sultrily.

“Oooh....”

Golden light poured down, and from within, Eilo rose like a pharaoh.

A singer in golden armor, singing.

We clapped and admired the powerful performance when—

During the dance break, as the dancers rode waves like “yali-yali yalasyeong,” Eilo, white hair flying, ascended on the center-stage lift.

And—

Flames shot up.

“...”

No.

Strictly speaking, rockets launched from the breastplate and navel of the armor the singer was wearing.

Pew—mini rockets popped out and then bang! multicolored fireworks exploded.

“...What am I watching right now?” 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The maknae rubbed his eyes.

The cameras caught our briefly blank faces and small laughs rippled through the audience.

Is this America?

Is this... the land of freedom?

I seriously had no idea what I was seeing. The performance was so knock-you-out intense my head spun.

“This is America...?”

Public TV said this country was founded by Puritans on that travel documentary, which was clearly a lie.

You lied to me, educational broadcasting.

“...What even.”

“Did I hallucinate that.”

“I guess for Americans this is average.”

Seeing our faces scanning the room like that, Americans frantically waved their hands.

“Th—this isn’t normal for us either.”

“...”

“Really.”

“...”

“No, seriously.”

We stared with deep distrust while they insisted it wasn’t typical.

The singer, who’d been melding belly dance into nationality-agnostic moves, exited to cheers.

At the same time, staff waved us over.

“It’s time to go get ready.”

Midway through the show.

After a commercial block and a few categories, our joint stage with Hayley would follow.

I stood up, still dazed, and asked Hayley,

“Hayley.”

“Yeah?”

“What do we do?”

Biju, face bright red, pointed at the singer coming off the far stage.

“C—can we beat the impact of those rockets?”

“Whew....”

A smile touched Hayley’s eyes.

“...We’re fucked.”

Hayley and all of us laughed.

“...”

“...”

But seriously...

How do we beat that...?